Things Remembered
by tlcinbflo
Summary: Written to celebrate Commander Shepard's birthday. Kaidan gives Sloan a gift for her birthday. Set at an unspecified time during The Reason.


Sloan walked off the elevator, her feet falling hard with each step. It had been a thoroughly exhausting day of negotiations and number crunching. She wanted nothing more than to strip out of her stale BDUs, take a hot shower, and curl up against Kaidan to close her eyes and just let him hold her. They were still a day out from their next stop, and she was seriously considering giving the crew a day of shipside liberty. She could see it in their faces; they were probably as exhausted as she was. The door to her quarters opened and she stepped inside, and out of the role of Commander.

She wasn't even down the steps when she pulled her BDU top off, dropping it to the floor. She heard Kaidan's warm chuckle and turned towards him as she undid her pants. She didn't miss his eyes trail over her exposed flesh and watch her hands as she continued to strip. "Tired?"

"Completely wiped out. What would you think if I have the crew liberty for the next 24 hours? EDI can fly the ship, and the lower ranks can rotate for essential functions," she suggested as she pulled the pins from her hair. She dropped them on her desk and stood before Kaidan in her underclothes.

"I think it sounds brilliant," he answered with a grin. Her heart fluttered when he smiled at her. She couldn't believe he still had that effect on her, but she loved that he did. He set down the data pad he'd been reading and shifted on the couch, his back in the corner and his legs stretched out in front of him. She watched the muscles in his arms and legs shift and her throat dried. His warm, amber eyes danced over her nearly naked body and she chewed her lip. A day of liberty meant they could stay locked up here, barring any emergencies.

"Send out the order; I'm going to shower," she dictated softly, and he nodded as she turned and went to the bathroom. She made quick work of her shower, and was walking out of the steamy bathroom in mere minutes. She had a towel around her body and her hair wrapped in another. She could _feel_ Kaidan watching her as she walked to the closet to dress. She dropped the towel and pulled on one of his t-shirts. She heard him laugh softly behind her.

"I think you wear my clothes more than I do." She could hear the amusement in his voice as she turned to meet his eyes. She simply shrugged and grabbed a brush before moving to the couch and towel drying her hair. She loved how tangible Kaidan's gaze was. She knew he was watching her, and it warmed her inside out. Once her hair was braided she turned her back to Kaidan and moved between his legs, her back to his chest.

His arms wrapped around her waist and her hands fell to his thighs. She inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. She could feel herself relaxing to the gentle hum of his biotics, the feel of him folding around her, and the soft brush of his breath on her neck. An easy silence filled the room and she could feel sleep tugging at her as her breathing deepened.

Kaidan pressed his lips to her neck and gooseflesh rose from the point of contact. A soft moan slipped from her lips, and she could feel him smile against her skin. "Why do you wait until I'm almost asleep to do that?" Her words were soft, and laced with sleep, but her head tilted exposing more of her skin to his wandering lips.

"I have something for you," he whispered, his breath chilling the places his lips had touched and she shivered and turned her head to look at him. He smiled and moved his hands to her waist. He pushed, and she whimpered quietly as she moved away from him. He swung his leg around her and stood going to his bags.

She watched, her eyes dropping to his rear, covered only in boxers, as he dug through his bag. He turned back to her, and he smiled when he caught her staring at him. His t-shirt stretched over his chest as he moved back to her, a package in his hands wrapped in brown paper. He sat back in the corner of the couch and held his arms out for her. She took her previous position and he set the gift in her lap. "What is it?"

A laugh rumbled in his chest; she felt it against her back. "Open it." He let his chin rest on her shoulder as she slid a finger between the edges of the paper, tearing it.

The paper fell away revealing a trio of paper and ink books. _Pride & Prejudice, Emma, _and _Sense & Sensibility_ by Jane Austen were held together by twine and she gasped and the rare gift. She had a distant memory of a conversation they'd had in a hotel room in Vancouver. It was a lifetime ago, and he remembered. She was embarrassed by the tears that swam in her vision and she choked on a sob.

"Sloan, what's wrong?" he asked, and she felt guilty at the concern in his voice. He must have thought she hated it. It was the opposite, though. She shook her head and turned to him, her lips finding his in an easy, deep kiss. His hand coming up to hold her jaw.

"What – why?" she asked the question when their kiss broke, her forehead pressed awkwardly against his.

"Uh… happy birthday?" he offered and her brow creased.

"My birthday was months ago," she reminded him. She knew he knew that, and he nodded.

"While you were incarcerated," he added and it was her turn to nod as she moved back to look at the gift. She tugged at the twine and it released the treasure inside easily. He adjusted his hold on her and she sighed. "I wanted to give them to you then, but couldn't get in. Then, I wanted to wait for the perfect moment and I decided this was it. You can take the next day and revisit your favorite ladies."

She opened the cover of her favorite, _Pride & Prejudice_, and was surprised at the fragrance that rose from the ancient pages. He let his chin rest on her shoulder again as she gently turned the pages. She found the flowers about halfway through the book and lifted them gingerly. She brought the dried petals to her nose and inhaled deeply. _Plum blossoms._

"They're from the Orchard," he whispered the explanation into her ear, his lips brushing the shell as he spoke, and tears finally spilled over, falling easily down her cheeks. She couldn't remember the last time someone had gotten her something so thoughtful. It wasn't that David and Kahlee didn't get her anything, but there was something about this gift that was special. He had listened to her, he had remembered, and he had managed to make it about their lives coming together. Incorporating something from her past and their future.

It woke something in her gut she hadn't felt since the SR1 went down. Something she had been missing, but knew she would need if they were going to win. She set the flowers back in the pages and gently closed the book. She carefully set the books on the table and turned to him. She kissed him, her hand coming up and cupping his cheek, her fingers teasing the grey hair at his temples.

As their kiss deepened, and grew into something more, she knew he had given her so much more than books. He had given her hope. Hope that they would win. Hope that there was some kind of future for them. As she clung to him, she clung to the hope that they would make it … Make it through the war, make it back to the Orchard, that they could make their relationship last through everything they were facing.

Hope is a powerful thing.


End file.
